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February 26, 2009: 16th short message (08:53 a.m. MEZ)
Fantastic weather due to ridge of high pressure. Amazingly beautiful landscape. An impressive arctic desert. 2 hours ago we arrived at the gold minig city Komsomolsk. About 200 very friendly people of a mining company are still living there. Anton Iwanowitsch Jukna, the manager, invited us for a meal, organized fuel 500 km away for us to produce the next fuel/bio-ethanol mixture and informed us about the road conditions on the upcoming 500 km. Thank you very much.
Due to corresponding reports and statements, we expect another low-pressure system with lots of snow during the next days, that we have to pass. We are curious to find out when we will be able to start.
GPS-cords: N 69 05?47? / E 172 49?18?
February 26, 2009: 17th short message (02:58 p.m. MEZ)
Had to stop. Extremely tough section, huge snowdrifts, snowfall and strong wind. We were able to get through some of them. Others were just too high. It took us 5 hours to manage 14 km. Within minutes our own traces disappeared. It?s crazy to see that sometimes within 5 minutes, 30-40 cm high drifts are back again. For safety reasons we returned to a nearby mine and will try to get through again tomorrow. Team alright but tired.
GPS-cords: N 68 58?25? / E 173 41?47?
February 27, 2009: 18th short message (02:14 a.m. MEZ)
Even more snow and strong wind. In more detail: I drive in the lead with F1, Kaspar is appr. 15m behind me (the length of one of our jeeps with trailer). He can hardly see my tracks which I left in the snow 30s before. We move forward with 0-5 km/h and air pressure of 0.4 bar. Even now we met three water trucks of the mine. They got stuck and were not able to reach the standpipe of the mine at that day - probably the very place where we have been yesterday.
GPS cords: N 68 51?56" / E 173 43?40"
February 27, 2009: 19th short message (11:19 a.m. MEZ)
A really hard fight. We started today at 10 a.m. after a coordination about the way together with the mining company. Afterwards it took us 9 hours, whereas 7 hours at one point (uphill, inclination to the right and gradient to the right for a rollover). We pulled out all the stops at this inclination where we additionally faced 3 huge snowdrifts (2-3m high and 40 to 100m long). We dismounted the trailers, put on fourfold tires and everyone helped to get rid of the snow, but then we decided for a 1-2 day long break and to wait for the road service in order to safe our equipment for parts where nobody will help us. As the snow drifts are built within shortest time periods, there was also the danger that a vehicle and trailer could get stuck in between two of them. There would be no more chance. We just set up an emergency camp on a little ledge above an flank of the hill (trailer as wind protection, cloth on top of the cars as tent) when the road service arrived, accompanied by the three water trucks. As the mine necessarily needs water, they had to drive once more. In lightning speed we cancelled everything and followed them. They are appr. 15 min in front of us.
GPS cords: N 68 44`13" / E 173 50`17"
February 27, 2009: 20th short message (01:16 p.m. MEZ)
Difficult hill incident with continuous winching action directly followed after the formerly mentioned circumstances at the inclination. From time to time we have to pull the trailers, the cars, or even both out of deep snow. If we would not be so well equipped (Warn winches at front and rear), the expedition would have to be cancelled at several points so far. After great efforts we reached a small weather station. We are safe, team is well and happy to manage the way so far. We are currently 250km behind Pevek. Vehicles suffered, Several fenders ragged or damaged, safety belts cracked.
GPS Cords: N 68 31`27" / E 174 08`38"
February 27, 2009: 21st short message (03:35 p.m MEZ)
We just saw the aurora borealis for the first time on the expedition. It looks like god made the sky burn in green flames. Amazing to see.
February 28, 2009: 22nd short message (03:16 a.m. MEZ)
We are already driving since 700 km with 0.4 - 0.6 bar with the Wrangler MT/R. Average speed 5-25 km/h. Vehicle weight appr. 3.5 t plus trailer. No damage or weakening at all. Current position in a narrow valley after the weather station. Advancement is good.
February 28, 2009: 23rd short message (08:00 a.m. MEZ)
I lost my chassis snow protection while breaking through a big snow drift. We just finished a 5 hour repairing period. Naff. We continue at starting snowfall. Team strained. Vehicles ready for use.
GPS cords: N 68 22?51" / E 174 58`12"
February 28, 2009: 24th short message (04:01 p.m. MEZ)
We struggeld through most dense snow flurry, kilometer after kilometer. So far, we were not able to stop, otherwise we would be totally covered in snow by tomorrow morning. We tried to reach the emergency shelter appr. 200km away from the weather station, without success. The snow drifts are too intense. We just shoveled ourselves through an inclination which took us two hours. Now the team is sleeping and I try to break through snow flurries with F1 without trailer in order not get totally covered in snow. Air pressure 0.2 bar. fuel reserve ok, food ok, team/vehicles ok.
GPS cords: N 67 52?45" / E 176 05?46"
March 01, 2009: 25th short message (02:19 a.m. MEZ)
After four hours of sleep, we had a lot of drudgery at the next difficult inclinations. We are currently appr. 500m away from the pass summit, shoveling and winching for hours. The only possible way: trying to bring F1 backwards on top, if successful trace breaking, then T1 upwards, then F1 back to protext F2 + trailer or upward winching...
News obsolete before sending: together with both cars and trailers we just reached the first pass summit! The Pacific Ocean watershed!
GPS cords: N 67 52?23" / E 176 05?51"
March 01, 2009: 26th short message (06:08 a.m. MEZ)
We crossed the second mountain pass. We are currently in front of the third pass. Weather cleared off and exactly as predicted by the German Weather Service, we had a short influence of a high pressure area on our driving route today. More precisely, that means sunshine again after a long time. We still have not reached the emergency shelter.
GPS cords: N 67 40?11" / E 176 39?53"
March 01, 2009: 27th short message (10:18 a.m. MEZ)
We reached the emergency shelter 30 km before the third mountain pass, where a bulldozer is positioned. We had to debate how to go on. The pass is totally covered in snow. "No chance to come through" said the dozer driver. He cleaned the pass this morning with a snow height of more than 5m, but directly after him, due to a strong wind, everything was covered in snow again. The remaining fuel is just enough to keep the dozer running, but no chance to clean the pass again. Next fuel delivery is arriving in appr. 5 days time. Shi***.
The two men living here in loneliness were really friendly. We received warm food and exchanged information. Two trucks, who left some days before us, containing 20 people in total, have still not reached Valonisti (mine appr. 170km in direction of Egvekinot from this emergency shelter). They try to find out where they are. A commision who started from Egvekinot in direction of Pevek also got stuck appr. 250km away from here with no possibility to move on. We will stay the night here and try to reach the mountain pass tomorrow. Then we will see what is possible or not. Worst case would be, that we have to wait here due to the storms.
This area is really amazing. Gigantic widths, partially snow drifts in a height of houses.
Otherwise: Team exhausted but in good health, fuel reserve 500 liters plus two half-full main tanks, food reserve ok, vehicles also ok although I had a hard impact on F1 today when I slipped into a rift in a snow drift.
GPS cords: N 67 29?57" / E 176 41?49"
March 02, 2009: 28th short message (00:09 a.m. MEZ)
The team of the emergency shelter had radio contact to Valonisti this morning. Yesterday evening the contact permanently broke off. We heard that a rescue team is on the way to the two trucks which got stuck in the snow ahead of us. The rescue team left at 4 a.m. this morning and managed 30 km in 5 hours.
We leave now to take the chance. There is a rescue team nearby if we do not succeed. There are 170km ahead of us until we reach Valonisti. During the radio contact we were requested to contact the rescue team via satellite phone when we reach the people in the snow earlier in order to get an impression of their condition.
March 02, 2009: 29th short message (06:37 a.m. MEZ)
After 6.5 hours of shoveling and winching, we just reached the pass summit (19km away from the emergency shelter) of the so-called third pass to Pevek. Awesome!
An unbelievable beautiful panorama up here! The tracks of the dozer were covered in snow. Only the deep tunnels (app. 3-4m meters) that it dug were visible. Air pressure F1 rear and front was 0.2 bar. Temperature appr. -35?C. We still have a fuel reserve of 500l plus half a tank left due to our last decanting action. With an inclined F1 we got nearly everything out of both roof tanks and my rear tank.
GPS Cords: N 67 21?07'' / E 176 49?0''
March 02, 2009: 30th short message (03:57 p.m. MEZ)
We just passed the thousandth kilometer of most difficult offrad track, snow, and ice with temperatures never above -20? and minimum -56?C with 0.5 bar air pressure or less with 8 MT/R tires on each vehicle - without any damage!!!! Thanks Goodyear!
We made it to the point, where the trucks must have been covered in snow. The tracks indicate that a Russian chain-driven transportation vehicle reached them first. Appr. 10km further we met the biggest CAT chain-driven vehicle of the world, a D10. Unimaginable dimensions. Even the driver cabin is located 4m above the ground. Pragmatically it pulled a sledge behind, which is a house, a big tank farm, and a snow plow at the same time.
As the D10 has already driven on that track we decided to overtake him like the rescued trucks. We now got stuck in an extremely strong snow storm appr. 25km in front of Valonisti. Not single 1-2m visibility. We just struggled in the "Whiteout" up a last inclination in order to reach a safe position and not to get totally covered in snow masses. There is no way to go further, as the Ural trucks got stuck in front of us, blocking the track. We have to wait for the dozers, which will free the trucks. We have a safe position on the ridge, fuel reserve 320l and 2 half-full tanks, food reserve ok, the storm is blowing that one can hardly stand. One is blown down or tumbling immediately. Unbelievable. Team is exhausted and stiff but we considerably increased our safety. The decision to decamp today turned out to be absolutely correct. In my opinion we took the only chance to reach Valonisti. No chance before and after it.
The storm is raging in such a strong way, that snow is coming through closed doors. We have -24?C, but together with a wind speed of appr. 35-38 km/h it feels like -60?C. Gloves, jackets, caps frozen to stiff in minutes and covered in a thick ice crust. We are standing at that location for about 15 minutes. On my left there is already a snow drift of 50cm height and 3m length.
GPS Cords: N 66 30?33" / E 177 16?45"
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